BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those
who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed
to call them brethren, saying, "I will proclaim thy name to my
brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee."
And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here
am I, and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children
share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same
nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of
death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of
death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with
angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham.
Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so
that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the
service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For
because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help
those who are tempted.

When the wise men departed, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise,
take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there
till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to
destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by
night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of
Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,
"Out of Egypt have I called my son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he had
been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and
killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who
were two years old or under, according to the time which he had
ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by
the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and
loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be
consoled, because they were no more." But when Herod died,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land
of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And
he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of
Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over Judea in place
of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a
dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt
in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might
be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

This Synaxis - which is to say, our
coming together to glorify the Theotokos - is celebrated especially
in her honour because she gave birth supernaturally to the Son and
Word Of God, and thus became the instrument of the salvation of
mankind.

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath
shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that
worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship Thee, the
Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O
Lord, glory be to Thee.

He, who was begotten of the Father
before the morning star, without a mother, becomes incarnate of you
today, without a father. Wherefore, a star announces the good news to
the Magi. Angels with shepherds praise your immaculate birth-giving,
O Full of Grace.

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath
shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that
worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship Thee, the
Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O
Lord, glory be to Thee.

"Yesterday, together with the
Angels, the Magi and the Shepherds, we offered our worship to God
made man, and born a little child for our Salvation; and today we
rightly pay homage to His Mother, the All Holy Virgin Mary. The
Church sets her before us in the cave beside her Son as the new Eve,
the first and pre-eminent representative of the renewed human race,
chosen and prepared by God throughout all generations, for the
fulfilment of the Great Mystery of His Incarnation."
(Synaxarion)

Here we follow the pattern of most
major Feasts: on the day following feast , we honor those who also
played a part in the accomplishment of God's plan.

The Flight into Egypt of the Holy
Family

See Matthew ch. 2. Though St Matthew's
account may leave the impression that the flight into Egypt was
almost immediate, it would have been at least forty days after
Christ's birth, following His Presentation in the Temple (Luke ch.
2). Christ, his holy Mother and his adoptive father St Joseph
probably remained in Egypt for several years, until the death of
Herod the Great.

St Nikolai Velimirovic (in the
Prologue) relates the following tale: the holy family, fleeing into
Egypt, were accosted by robbers, one of whom, seeing the Christ
Child, was amazed at his supernatural beauty and said 'If God were to
take human flesh Himself, He would not be more beautiful than this
child!'. The robber told his companions to take nothing from the
family. In gratitude the Mother of God told him 'This Child will
reward you richly for having spared Him today.' Thirty years later it
was this robber who was crucified at Christ's right hand, and was
granted to hear the words 'Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.'

Our Holy Father Euthymius the
Confessor, Bishop of Sardis (840)

Bishop Euthymius was one of those
assembled at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 787; it was
he who formulated the Council's official declaration on veneration of
the holy icons. During the reign of Nicephorus I (802-811),Euthymius'
enemies made false accusations against him that led to his being
deposed and exiled for several years. He was called back to
Constantinople by the iconoclast Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820),
who sought his support in attacking the icons; but Euthymius refused,
and was exiled once more. On Leo's death, he was summoned before
another iconoclast Emperor, Michael II (820-829), who in turn asked
the Saint's support in his blasphemous campaign against the icons.
The holy bishop not only refused, but cried out 'Let anyone who does
not worship Our Lord Jesus Christ represented in image according to
His humanity, be anathema!' The enraged Emperor exiled him again (his
third exile), imprisoning him in a foul dungeon at the far east of
the Black Sea for three years. He was then summoned to appear before
his third Emperor in succession, the iconoclast Theophilus (829-42).
For holding firm in the Faith once delivered to the saints, the holy
bishop was mercilessly flogged with rods, then with the sinews of
oxen until his body swelled up 'like a wineskin.' He was then thrown
into a dungeon where, after eight days in terrible pain, he gave up
his soul to God.

The Saint's precious relics worked
many miracles, and were venerated in Constantinople until the City's
fall in 1453, when they were taken to Cherson in the Crimea, then to
Chilea near Chalcedon. When most of the Greeks were expelled from
Asia Minor in 1922, the people of Chilea brought the Saint's skull to
Greece, where a church was built in his honor in Pireus; the holy
relic may be venerated there today.

Our Holy Father Constantine of Synnada
(7th c.)

His parents were Jews living at Synnada
in Phrygia. One day when he was nine years old, he saw a Christian
merchant make the sign of the Cross in the marketplace; and in
imitation, without understanding its meaning, he began to make the
sign. This became a habit with him, and he began to imitate other
practices of the Christians around him, still without any
understanding of the Christian faith. But by the power of the Cross,
the grace of Christ began to grow in him secretly. He began to hear a
voice within him revealing some of the mysteries of Christianity, and
he began to be filled with a fervent love for the Savior.

After the death of his mother, he
fled his home town to escape an arranged marriage, and came in time
to a monastery in Nicaea. He told his story to the abbot, who
baptized him, giving him the name of Constantine. When the sign of
the Cross was made on his head at baptism, a cross appeared visibly
on his forehead, where it remained for the rest of his life.

The holy Constantine devoted the
rest of his days to the ascetical life, excelling in every virtue. It
is said that a delighful scent would fill any place that he went, and
that church doors would open spontaneously at his approach. He
comforted many by healing their ailments through his prayers, and was
granted the gift of discerning the secrets of hearts. After living
for some time in Nicaea, he travelled to Mt Olympus in Bithynia where
he lived as a hermit. Seeing that there were many Jews living in that
area, he strove for a time to preach the Gospel to them, but was
unable to win many of his former brethren to faith in Christ. He
foretold the date of his death eight years beforehand. His final
words to his disciples were 'The Lord is coming to invite me to the
feast of Joy.' He then died, and a fragrant scent filled his cell.
His relics gave off a healing myrrh for many years.

Menologion 3.0

The Sobor-Assemblage of the MostHoly
Mother of God: On the day after the Nativity of Christ is celebrated
the Sobor-Assemblage of the MostHoly Mother of God, commemorating
together with Her also Saint Joseph the Betrothed, King David (an
ancestor by flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ), and Saint James the
Brother of the Lord, a son of the first marriage of Saint Joseph the
Betrothed. Saint James accompanied his father Joseph and the Mother
of God and the Divine-Infant Jesus on the Flight into Egypt.

Saint Joseph the Betrothed was
descended from the lineage of King David. In his first marriage, he
had four sons and two daughters. Having become a widower, Saint
Joseph led a life of strict temperance. As an eighty year old elder
Saint Joseph was chosen by the high-priests as a protector of the
virginity of the MostHoly Mother of God, Who had taken a vow of
virginity. An Angel announced to him about the Incarnation through
Her of the Son of God. Saint Joseph was present during the worship of
the NewBorn Divine-Infant by the shepherds, and also by the Magi. On
the orders of the Angel he fled with the Mother of God and the
God-Infant Jesus into Egypt, saving them from the wrath of king
Herod. In Egypt he lived with the Virgin Mary and the God-Infant,
earning his livelihood by work as a carpenter. Saint Joseph died at
about one hundred years old (a 2nd Commemoration of Saint Joseph is
on the Sunday of the Holy ForeFathers).

The Holy King and Prophet David was a
forefather by flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. The youngest son of
Jesse, in his youth David shepherded a flock of sheep that belonged
to his father. He was distinguished by his deep faith, and he
zealously fulfilled the will of God. Thus, during the time of an
invasion of the Philistines he vanquished in single combat the giant
Goliath, which decided the outcome of the war in favour of the
Israelite people. Having endured many wrongs from king Saul, who saw
him as a favorite of the people and his rival also, David displayed
his own decency and magnanimity. Twice having had the possibility to
kill Saul, he did not. After Saul and his son perished, David was
proclaimed king of the southern part of the Israelite realm, and
after the killing of the second son of Saul, -- he became king of all
Israel. He built a new capital -- Jerusalem ("the City of
Peace"), and in it -- a new tabernacle; his great wish to build
together with the tabernacle a temple was not realised. It was
predicted to him, that his son would build the temple. The life of
the Prophet David was darkened by a grievous falling: he took for
himself the wife of Uriah, and Uriah himself he sent to his death in
battle. But he also gave example of great repentance, humbly and with
faith bearing to the uttermost the sorrows, sent in punishment for
the sins committed. Saint David gave a model for repentance in Psalm
50 [51]. King David died in extreme old age with steadfast faith of
the coming into the world of the promised Divine Redeemer -- the
Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. In Divine-services and personal
prayers his Divinely-inspired "Psalter" is widely used.
(The Biblical Books of Kings and Chronicles tell about him).

The Holy Apostle James, Brother of the
Lord, was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first
marriage with Solomonia. The Apostle James is remembered in the holy
days after the feast of the Nativity of Christ together with his
father Joseph and the Prophet King David, since by tradition, he
accompanied the Holy Family during the Flight into Egypt and dwelt
there together with the God-Infant Jesus, the Mother of God and
Joseph, helping them, and he returned with them to Israel. After the
Ascension of the Lord, Saint James was the first bishop of Jerusalem,
gaining the great esteem not only of Christians, but also among Jews.
He accepted a martyr's death for Christ: they threw him off from the
roof of the Jerusalem Temple since he had publicly preached to the
people about the God-manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ (a 2nd
Commemoration of the Apostle James is 23 October).

The PriestMartyr Euthymios, Bishop of
Sardica, during the period of the reign of the Byzantine emperor
Constantine Porphyrigenitos (780-797) and the empress Irene
(797-802), was chosen bishop of Sardica because of his virtuous life.
He was also present at the Seventh OEcumenical Council (787), at
which he denounced the Iconoclast heresy. When the Iconoclast emperor
Nicephoros I (802-811) came to rule, Saint Euthymios together with
other Orthodox hierarchs was banished to the island of Patalareia,
where he languished for a long time. Recalled from exile by the
emperor Leo V (813-820), the bishop again boldly entered into
denunciation of the Iconoclast heresy, and they again sent him into
exile to the city of Assia. The next emperor -- Michael II the
Stutterer (820-829) again demanded that he renounce icon-veneration,
but without success. Then the holy martyr was subjected to flogging
and banished for a third time, to the island of Crete. Michael was
succeeded on the throne by the Iconoclast emperor Theophilos
(829-842), upon whose order Saint Euthymios was subjected to cruel
tortures: they stretched him on four poles and beat at him with ox
thongs. Saint Euthymios reposed to the Lord several days after the
torture.

The Monk Constantine of Synada, a
native of the city of Synada and by descent Jewish, from the time of
his youth he felt an inclination towards the Christian faith. An
attentive attitude to the teachings of Christ set aflame his heart,
and in his early youth he left his parents to become a monastic. He
was baptised with the name Constantine and took monastic tonsure.
When they brought him the holy cross, he kissed it with love and
placed it to his head. The image of the holy cross impressed itself
upon him throughout all his life. Having spent his God-pleasing life
in strict asceticism, Saint Constantine peacefully reposed to God.

The Monk Euarestes, a native of
Galatia, was the son of illustrious parents. From his youth he
yearned for the monastic life, and in particular he loved to read the
books of Saint Ephrem the Syrian. Having settled into the Studite
monastery, he pursued asceticism in strict fasting, vigil and prayer,
wearing iron chains. He reposed peacefully to God at age 75 in the
year 825.

On the second day of the Nativity, the
Christian Church gives glory and thanksgiving to the Most-holy
Theotokos, who gave birth to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
This feast is called ``the Synaxis'' because on this day all of the
faithful gather to glorify her, the Most-holy Theotokos, and to
solemnly and universally celebrate a feast in her honor. In Ohrid, it
has been the tradition from ancient times that, on the eve of the
second day of Nativity, Vespers has been celebrated only in the
Church of the Most-holy Theotokos called the Chieftain [Èelnica].
All the clergy with the people gather together to glorify the
Most-pure Mother of God.

2. The Commemoration of the Flight into
Egypt

The wise men (astrologers) from the
East, having worshiped the Lord in Bethlehem, were directed to return
to their home another way by command of an angel. Herod, that wicked
king, planned to slaughter all the children in Bethlehem, but God saw
Herod's intention and sent His angel to Joseph. The angel of God
appeared to Joseph in a dream and commanded him to take the young
Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt. Joseph did this. Taking the
Divine Child and His Most-holy Mother, he traveled first to Nazareth
(Luke 2:39), where he arranged his household matters, and then,
taking his son James with them, went off to Egypt (Matthew 2:14).
Thus the words of the prophet were fulfilled: Behold, the Lord rideth
upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt (Isaiah 19:1). In old
Cairo today, the cave where the holy family lived can be seen.
Likewise, in the village of Matarea near Cairo, the tree under which
the Most-holy Theotokos rested with the Lord Jesus, as well as a
miraculous spring of water under this tree, are visible. After having
lived for several years in Egypt, the holy family returned to
Palestine, again in response to a command of an angel of God. Thus
another prophecy was fulfilled: Out of Egypt have I called my Son
(Hosea 11:1). Herod was dead and his wicked son Archelaus-a worthy
successor of him in evil-sat on his bloodstained throne. Hearing that
Archelaus was reigning in Jerusalem, Joseph returned to Galilee, to
his town of Nazareth, where he settled in his own home. Herod's
second son, Herod the Younger, who was somewhat less evil than his
brother Archelaus, then reigned in Galilee.

3. The Venerable Evarestus

Reading the works of St. Ephraim the
Syrian, Evarestus left the diplomatic service and became a monk. He
was very strict with himself: he wore chains over his body and ate
dry bread only once a week. He lived for seventy-five years and took
up his habitation with the Lord in about the year 825.

4. Saint Euthymius the Confessor,
Bishop of Sardis

Euthymius attended the Seventh
Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 783 and spent about thirty years in
exile for his veneration of icons. During the reign of Emperor
Theophilus the Iconoclast, he was flogged with bullwhips, at which
time he died a martyr's death, in the year 840, and received a wreath
of glory in heaven.

5. The Venerable Constantine of Synnada

Constantine was a Jew who converted to
Christianity. During his baptism he touched a Cross to his head, and
a miraculous imprint of the Cross remained on his head until his
death. He died in Constantinople in the seventh century. Famous for
his asceticism and many miracles, he prophesied the day of his death
seven years beforehand.

HYMN OF PRAISE

The Synaxis of the Most-holy Theotokos

At the border between night and sunny
day,

The dawn is rosy, pink and dewy.

The crimson dawn thou art, O Virgin
given by God,

Precursor of the day, rosy and
glorious.

Thou didst correct Eve and restore her
to Paradise.

Do not withhold thy help from us
sinners.

Israel crossed dry-shod over the Red
Sea;

A cool spring flowed from the rock in
the wilderness;

The bush burned but was not consumed-

As the dawn resembles the crimson eve,

So thou, O Virgin, dost resemble those
foreshadowings.

O thou whom the Church calls the
Mother of God,

Unknown to sin, not given to sin,

O Most-pure Mother of our Savior,

Because of thy purity thou wast chosen
by God,

To bring down the Eternal Creator to
earth.

That is why thou hast authority to
pray for us,

And we have the joy of hymning and
glorifying thee!

REFLECTION

A story of the Divine Christ-child:
When the holy family fled before Herod's sword to Egypt, robbers
leapt out on the road with the intention of stealing something. The
righteous Joseph was leading the donkey, on which were some
belongings and on which the Most-holy Theotokos was riding with her
Son at her breast. The robbers seized the donkey to lead it away. At
that moment, one of the robbers approached the Mother of God to see
what she was holding next to her breast. The robber, seeing the
Christ-child, was astonished at His unusual beauty and said in his
astonishment: ``If God were to take upon Himself the flesh of man, He
would not be more beautiful than this Child!'' This robber then
ordered his companions to take nothing from these travelers. Filled
with gratitude toward this generous robber, the Most-holy Virgin said
to him: ``Know that this Child will repay you with a good reward
because you protected Him today.'' Thirty-three years later, this
same thief hung on the Cross for his crimes, crucified on the right
side of Christ's Cross. His name was Dismas, and the name of the
thief on the left side was Gestas. Beholding Christ the Lord
innocently crucified, Dismas repented for all the evil of his life.
While Gestas reviled the Lord, Dismas defended Him, saying: This man
hath done nothing amiss. (Luke 23:41). Dismas, therefore, was the
wise thief to whom our Lord said: Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt
thou be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43). Thus the Lord granted
Paradise to him who spared Him in childhood.

CONTEMPLATION

Contemplate the purity of the Most-holy
Mother of God:

1. On the immaculate purity of her
body: passionless and disciplined by fasting;

2. On the immaculate purity of her
heart, in which a sinful desire never dwelt;

3. On the immaculate purity of her
mind, in which a sinful thought never dwelt.

HOMILY

on the Most-holy Virgin, the Theotokos

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of
the Lord (Luke 1:38).

Here indeed, brethren, is a true
handmaid of the Lord! If a handmaid is she who exchanges her will
completely for the will of her Lord, then the Most-holy Virgin is the
first among all of the Lord's handmaids. If a handmaid is she who,
with intent and with complete attention, beholds her Lord, then again
the Most-holy Virgin is the first among the handmaids of the Lord. If
a handmaid is one who meekly and quietly endures all insults and
trials, awaiting only the reward of her Lord, then again and again
the Most-holy Virgin is the first and most excellent of all the
handmaids of the Lord. She did not care to please the world, but only
God; nor did she care to justify herself before the world, but only
before God. She herself is obedience; she herself is service; she
herself is meekness. The Most-holy Virgin could in truth say to the
angel of God: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. The greatest
perfection, and the greatest honor that a woman can attain on earth,
is to be a handmaid of the Lord. Eve lost this perfection and honor
in Paradise without effort, and the Virgin Mary achieved this
perfection and this honor outside Paradise with her efforts.

Through the prayers of the Most-holy
Virgin Theotokos, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.